As a millennial working in a startup, one thing I appreciate is the relative freedom I have at my workplace. One would be being able to wear whatever I like to the office. Every day is a Casual Friday for us.
Workplaces are now more flexible and some employers allow you to either work from home or offsite, as evidenced by the popularity of coworking spaces and cafes as working hubs.
Some large businesses can also be seen operating out of coworking spaces now—with some even hiring coworking spaces to redesign their office spaces, because they recognise the benefits of the freedom and flexibility that coworking carries.
In accordance to how millennials now live, Celcom Xpax is announcing a brand new postpaid plan dubbed the XP Lite™ that offers maximum freedom and flexibility for their users.
And in line with that, we thought to ask millennials, what freedoms are they looking for in workplaces?
What Millennials Want
Based on a quick ask around the office, we found that these 6 freedoms were what our colleagues thought mattered:
- Freedom of working schedule – You are not tied to a strict schedule and you are allowed to go in and out of the workplace whenever you like
- Freedom of privacy – The freedom to choose NOT to disclose personal information such as political beliefs, sexual identification, relationship status, and etc. (any information that you define as personal)
- Freedom of speech – You have the freedom to speak your mind without fear of being dismissed
- Freedom of expression – The freedom to express yourself at the workplace (tattoos, dyed hair, no strict attire and etc.)
- Freedom of role/job scope – You are not just tied to a single role at your job and you are allowed to expand your scope when necessary
- Freedom of personalisation – You have the freedom to add personal touches to your work and are allowed to customise your personal workplace
We sent out a survey to gauge what kind of freedom a millennial would prioritise at their workplace. The results we got were a little unexpected.
From the questionnaire, most of the answers came from people in the 20 to 29 age range from a variety of roles; 45.5% of them are currently working in startups, and 36.4% of them are working in the corporate world and the remaining were in SMEs.
They were then asked to rank some of the “freedoms” that they deem important to have in their workplace.
Free From Working Schedules
Unsurprisingly, the most important freedom millennials desire is to be free from working schedules.
One of the replies stuck to me as they mentioned the freedom allows them to focus on self-care and side hustles.
Burnout is a major problem in Malaysia, and we recently heard about how we have one of the lowest work-life balances in the world.
Many people often fall into the trap of not getting enough rest and a grinding routine of 9-5 plus overtime definitely doesn’t appeal.
Millennials are more averse to strict timelines for a variety of reasons. Having the flexibility does help when you can head to work at your own convenience and can work during the hours that fit your energy cycles.
Some people also enjoy having the option to choose when they want to work.
Options matter to millennials. With the Celcom Xpax XP Lite™ plan, you can easily size up for more internet if you desire.
Let’s say you have a TV show you want to binge-watch, even while on the go. You can simply size up your XP Lite™ with L or M Pass and watch it without any worries.
Once you’re done binging for that month, simply change and revert to your original plan without any hassle.
Does Privacy At Work Matter?
In this digital age, privacy is often set aside for convenience and the results of the questionnaire reflected that. The lowest in terms of priority according to the millennials we surveyed is the freedom for privacy.
Looking at it one way, we’ve given up on our right to privacy as soon as we sign up for Facebook.
We simply accept Terms and Conditions without reading them. Most of the apps on your phone requires access to monitor your phone usage.
However, for the workplace, most millennials nowadays are open to sharing their beliefs and voicing their political stances and whatnot. Being able to be open with your fellow colleagues will deepen the bond between each other too.
One reply we’ve gotten from the questionnaire specifically highlights: “I’ve never felt that this is something that’s challenged in workplaces in Malaysia.”
One even responded by saying political beliefs and relationship status don’t affect their job.
Freedom To Be Yourself
Freeing yourself from the annoyance of being tied up is important. The traditional model for phone plans usually subjects you to the same plan, without the ability for you to control what it offers.
For example, if a plan offers unlimited messaging but you never use it, then you are paying for what you do not need. The Celcom Xpax XP Lite™ postpaid plan allows you to pick and choose. If you need unlimited calls? Simply check the box for that.
Users can sign up at a low price of RM28 a month and it comes with 1GB of internet with unlimited calls. And depending on your personal usage, you can size up to L or M Pass for more monthly data.
Celcom Xpax is also offering the loyal customers that stay on the XP Lite™ with L Pass plan for 6 consecutive months, free unlimited internet every day and much much more.
You could potentially nab yourself a free smartphone or get one at a much lower price when you Gear Up with XP Lite™.
Personally, the freedom to choose my postpaid plan is as important to me as being able to choose when I want to work. If that matters to you too, you can check out this plan.
- Learn more about the new Celcom Xpax XP Lite™ plan here, on Malaysia’s best 4G LTE Network.
